Ay-Khuuchin
Khakas · demigod · Khakas traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Ay-Khuuchin is the warrior-maiden at the centre of one of the most celebrated Khakas alyptygh nymakh, recorded from the master singer P. V. Kurbizhekov and published in 1997. An alyp-khys of exaggerated beauty and terrifying strength, she journeys through the upper world of celestial beings, the middle world of humans and the lower world of destructive forces, acting by turns as protector and challenger. Her associations with birds, horses and transformation reveal the shamanic underpinning of the epic tradition.
Domains
- war
- heroism
Powers
- fights as an invincible warrior maiden
- commands a wondrous steed and shape-shifts
Epithets
- Ай Хуучин — Moon KhuuchinAi-Khuuchin: Khakasskii geroicheskii epos (Novosibirsk, 1997) (primary)
Sources
- Ay-Khuuchin is the warrior-maiden (alyp-khys) heroine of a celebrated Khakas heroic epic recorded from the singer P. V. Kurbizhekov, moving through the three realms of the Khakas cosmos.: Ai-Khuuchin: Khakasskii geroicheskii epos, Pamiatniki fol'klora narodov Sibiri i Dal'nego Vostoka, vol. 16 (Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1997) (primary); Mythlok, 'Ay-Khuuchin: The Warrior Maiden Who Challenged the Heavens' (secondary)